‘I’m not above looking up the solutions to all the riddles in Assassin’s Creed Unity, because, seriously, who has time for that?’
Photograph: AP

If you’ve ever thrown your console controller across the room, you’ll understand when I say that some games are worth a bit of cheating.

Like Ezio Auditore of Assassin’s Creed ascending the Sistine Chapel, downloads of dodgy software for the all-conquering Fortnite continue to rise. Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games, is suing one person for selling cheats to the hugely popular game. But I wonder whether cheating at video games is really anything to feel bad about. While downloading unverified cheat programs and exposing yourself to malware is not something to encourage, there are wider and greyer areas of game manipulation that deserve consideration.

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While we can all agree that it’s probably immoral to cheat in the 100m Olympic final, what’s less obvious is whether it’s right to use an invincibility code in the multiplayer game Star Wars: Battlefront. Finding yourself in a weak team on Battlefront can be exasperating, but perhaps not enough to justify becoming the guy effortlessly massacring opponents before they get called down for their tea.

In the world of competitive sport, the line between a so-called clean win and one in which the performance of an athlete has been chemically enhanced is blurred – but we leave it up to governing bodies to decide what’s acceptable and what’s not. This leads us into the moral quandary of whether something being legal makes it acceptable. Perhaps we can conclude that when it comes to digital gaming, if you’re not manipulating the software, then you’re on firm ground.

I see no such moral dilemma in enhancing my performance by mining gamers’ collective experience, for example. I fully endorse Googling “how the hell do I complete the Wrong Side of the Tracks mission on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas”. I’m also not above looking up the solutions to all the riddles in Assassin’s Creed Unity, because, seriously, who has time for that?

Internet gaming advice is a wonderful thing. From details of where to find loot boxes and other collectibles to bug solutions and guides on making the right choices to get a particular ending to a story: the little tips and tricks that the gaming community provide can make games more rewarding, taking much of the frustration out, and leaving only unbridled joy.

As individuals we choose how we play and what we get out of video games. For some of us, the idea of using a walkthrough is anathema, to others it is a means of bringing us back to a point where we can have fun. I’ll admit that I never completed the Ocarina of Time. It was too hard and I got bored. I’m sorry, Princess Zelda, I abandoned you. But as a feminist I really think you should be fighting your own battles anyway.

There were a few other games in my early days that I never finished, and I wonder if I would have enjoyed them more if I’d just been able to get past that one stumbling block that made me throw in the towel.

‘Epic Games is suing one person for selling cheats to the hugely popular Fortnite.’ Photograph: Keith Stuart/Fortnite

Video games are arguably more user-friendly than they used to be, as this list of the 25 hardest games suggests. Regardless, forums and YouTube channels devoted to helping out confused and desperate gamers are hugely popular. Is this because we no longer enjoy being challenged by our entertainment or is it just because back when kids were struggling with Battletoads, finding cheats on the internet just wasn’t possible?

There is a lot to be said for completing a game under your own steam, of course. There’s a sense of achievement, maybe some smugness, but there’s certainly no medal and nobody cheers. My husband won’t even give me a pat on the back.

We’ve come a long way from gaming’s infancy in fluorescent-lit arcades where you’d spend time (and money) on steep learning curves just to get your initials in, or close to, that top spot. Beating a tough game doesn’t hold the same weight as it did 40, 30 or even 20 years ago: it’s evolved. And while it’s fun for me to occasionally relive the repetitive platform years, sitting hunched in front of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, I would far rather spend my time exploring the worlds of Mass Effect, occasionally checking IGN or Fandom to make sure I didn’t miss anything special.

After all; video games are entertainment. To paraphrase the BeGambleAware slogan, if it’s not fun any more, why are you still doing it?

• Stephanie Munro is a freelance writer working for the Guardian’s online community team